"Giving Tuesday"

'Tis the season for sensory overload. We've recently passed Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Turkey Leftover Sunday (OK, I made that one up, but I'm pushing for it to become a thing) and Cyber Monday. Most of these dates are focused around commerce and great deals — 99 cents for a 10-pound box of peanut brittle — but today has been dubbed "Giving Tuesday". Many of our creators have used their artwork for good throughout their careers. We can't list them all, because we're fortunate to work with many incredibly generous people. Here are a few notable recent examples of our cartoonists' charitable endeavors:

Jan Eliot, Stone Soup

For this holiday season, Jan illustrated a campaign series to bring awareness to Habitat For Humanity International's Cars For Homes program. The work, using the Stone Soup characters, encourages others to help a family in need by donating a vehicle. "I love my relationship with Habitat, because I love the opportunity to put my comic strip to work for such a good cause," said Jan. "I can't always be the one swinging a hammer, but the Stone Soup characters can be out there encouraging others to do so." For more info, visit http://www.habitat.org/carsforhomes.

Gavin Aung Than, Zen Pencils

Tragedy hit the Philippine Islands last month when Typhoon Haiyan landed, the deadliest storm on record for the country. Zen Pencils creator Gavin Aung Than, an Australian cartoonist with a global following, chose to use his artwork to make a difference. He created a mural-style comic strip, inspiring others to help during this season of giving. All profits from the sale of the print will go to the Philippine Red Cross. See the custom artwork here.

(Courtesy of nancyandsluggo.com)

Guy Gilchrist, Nancy

This holiday season has been a special time for Nancy cartoonist Guy Gilchrist, who was recently married. This has not kept Guy from supporting the many philanthropies that are near and dear to his heart, including St. Jude Medical Foundation, The Wounded Warrior Project and The Salvation Army, to name a few. He is also an accomplished musician, with two holiday songs (Merry Christmas, Sluggo and Christmas Light) continuing to financially benefit Boys Town. To learn more, visit http://www.guygilchristmusic.com/songs.

Here at GoComics/Universal Uclick, our holiday philanthropies began last month, with our annual "Christmas in October" event. The work assists with rebuilding houses, lives and neighborhoods in our hometown of Kansas City, MO.

Thanks to all of our cartoonists and creators for being wonderful people with big hearts. Enjoy #givingtuesday!